Search Results for: Thai Cabinet
- Covid-19 News
Thai PM says tourists will get automatic visa extensions
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is concerned that foreigners seeking visa extensions have been gathering in their hundreds at Thailand’s immigration offices each day, at a time when social distancing is needed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. This from a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry today. Deputy ministry spokesman Natapanu Nopakun announced that the cabinet has responded with a…
- Covid-19 News
Government aims to limit travel around Thailand by 90%
It won’t do much for oil prices, but it will flatten Thailand’s Covid-19 ‘curve’ and help with the country’s air pollution problems. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is aiming to cut public transport use by as much as 90% around the country in order to stem the rise of Covid-19 coronavirus infections. Just yesterday, Thailand’s Department of Land Transport announced that…
- Covid-19 News
5000 baht per month for “informal” Thai workers
Informal workers, meaning temporary workers, contractors and the self-employed will be able to claim 5000 baht in government assistance per month during the Covid-19 Coronavirus crisis, which has already closed untold thousands of businesses, even before yesterday’s announcement of a state of emergency. The program and payments begin on April 1. Workers must be Thai nationals and register with either The…
- Covid-19 News
Cabinet approves 117 billion baht stimulus
Today the cabinet has approved a proposed new stimulus measures of at least 117 billion baht. Trying to minimise the magnitude of the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak that has infected more than 800 Thais across the country. The stimulus will include cash handouts worth 45 billion baht for more than 3 million workers outside of the social security system,…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Thailand confirms 106 new coronavirus cases, 3 more deaths
UPDATE: New cases announced in Phuket (below). ORIGINAL STORY: Thailand health officials have reported 106 new Covid-19 coronavirus infections today, bringing the total to 827 in the Kingdom. The number of new cases is lower than the 122 recorded yesterday. The Ministry of Public Health has also reported 3 additional deaths from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing…
- Covid-19 News
Cabinet will look at proposal to help with home internet
Cabinet today will look at a proposal to help people working from home with 10 Gb free internet for their smartphones, along with other subsidies. The Thai National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will ask for cabinet approval providing mobile users with 10 free gigabytes of data usage per subscriber, per month up to June 30. The NBTS say they recognise…
- Covid-19 News
Cash handouts to Thais being proposed
“Those Thais with social security will be taken care of by the Social Security Office, while those who are not insured under the social security scheme will be taken care of by the Ministry of Finance. We are planning to use an emergency budget from fiscal 2020 of around 20 billion baht to provide cash handouts to people affected by…
- Covid-19 News
7 key service required by all Thai banks during ‘disruption’
The Bank of Thailand is demanding all Thai financial institutions to continue providing 7 basic financial services, including money withdrawals, fund transfers, deposits, payments, cash management and settlement systems, in an effort to avoid potential Covid-19 related disruption. Secretary-general of the Thai Bankers Association, Kobsak Duangdee, says after the conference call between all banks and the central bank, they’ve all…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Wednesday, March 18
New cases of Covid-19 takes Thai toll beyond 200 35 new cases of Covid-19 coronavirus have been confirmed in Thailand today. 29 of the new cases were linked to what’s now being referred too as the Lumphini cluster…. the Lumphini Boxing stadium north west of Bangkok city. Since Sunday 130 new cases have been announced, almost tripling the total cases…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Thailand closes schools, entertainment venues, Phuket shuts entertainment venues
UPDATE: Phuket’s Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana last night gave the order to close all entertainment venues in Phuket for 14 days, effective today. All sports venues, cinemas and massages shops are to remain closed for 14 days. Phakaphong explained that the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee’s decision to close all entertainment venues followed yesterday’s Cabinet resolution. The same closure of all entertainment…
- Economy News
Airlines offered drop in landing fees and fuel excise at Thai airports
Airlines, international and domestic, have been hit hard with the impact on travel following the Coronavirus outbreak. Over the past month there’s been daily announcements of cancellations of flights and rescheduling to cope with border closures and daily changes in the coronavirus evolution. The Thai Cabinet yesterday approved a relief package which had been proposed by the Transport Ministry for…
- Thailand News
Cabinet approval to reduce water, power bills by 3%
The Cabinet has approved 17 billion baht in measures to tackle the Covid-19 crisis and drought. They plan on doing this by reducing water and electricity bills by 3% and returning deposits for installation of electricity meters. The Thai cabinet meets every Tuesday at Government house in Bangkok. During a ‘grace period’ of not more than six months, the cabinet…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today, Thursday, March 12. Daily TV News.
Tourism officials ponder moving Songkran to July, boosting domestic tourism The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism and Sports ministry are examining the postponing of Songkran celebrations to July 4-7 this year. The idea already has the nod from Tourism and Sports Minister but still needs approval from the Culture Ministry and cabinet. Meanwhile, the Tourism Council of Thailand has…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2020
400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely roasted in Thai social media after being proposed by the economic ministers,…
- Covid-19 News
400 billion baht stimulus announced to boost Thai economy
“The package will inject an estimated 400 billion baht into the economy in a bid to return growth to positive territory.” Yesterday’s Thai cabinet meeting gave the greenlight to a new stimulus package. The government expects the approved 400 billion baht to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Last week’s 2,000 baht cash stimulus proposal, which was largely…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today, Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Thai road toll, worst of the year yesterday Yesterday 90 people, including 2 foreigners, died in Thailand. This was the year’s single worst death toll day on Thailand’s roads this year. 3,200 lives have already been lost this year. 69 deaths were motorcyclists, 2 were foreigners and 2 children died as well. Hotting up in northern Thailand Hot, damn…
- Economy News
Thai PM Prayut quashes 2,000 baht handout package
Easy come, easy go. Well that was quick. Last Friday’s announcements for 2 x 1000 baht handouts to poorer Thai citizens has been quashed by the PM. Prime Minister Prayut officially shelved plans to hand out the cash to low income earners. Last Friday the Finance Ministry made the announcement for a new round of stimulus packages to prop up…
- Politics News
Thai minister says aide not involved in massive mask-hoarding
Responding to a report on Facebook, the Thai Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thamanat Prompow admitted today that his assistant met a man who was reported to be hoarding face masks, but he denied they discussed the mask trade. The post alleged that Thamanat’s close aide had a hoard of 200 million medical masks for resale to China. He said…
- Economy News
2000 baht handouts for low-income Thais
Thailand’s Council of Economic Ministers today endorsed a Finance Ministry proposal to provide low-income Thais 2000 baht each via an e-payment channel. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana said after a meeting this afternoon that there will be a 1000 payment for two consecutive months for low-income earners, farmers and freelancers. The number of people eligible has yet to be calculated. The…
- Politics News
Thai minister Thammanat Prompao tells parliament he “never pled guilty” or “served time” over heroin drug charges
The Thai deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompao has re-ignited the controversy over his drug convictions in Australia by continuing to insist he “never pled guilty or served jail time for drug charges in Australia”. His claims are contrary to the evidence provided by the Australian courts. The ministers’s denial follows the disbanded Future Forward Party publishing an Australian court ruling on…
- Songkran News
Thai government ponders nine day Songkran holiday
With the impact of the coronavirus cutting deep into the Thai tourism industry, and tourism accounting for around 18% of the Thai GDP, the government are eyeing some additional public holidays to boost spending and activity. The Thai PM announced yesterday that the government is considering adding two public holidays to the annual Songkran festival. Songkran, the Thai new year…
- Tourism News
“Tourist arrivals to plunge 50% in first half of 2020” – Thai Tourism Minister
Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has painted a gloomy outlook for Thailand’s previously-robust tourism industry. He says he expects tourist arrivals to plunge by 50% in the first half of 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak. His predictions are born out by sluggish arrival numbers at the country’s main airports, hotel forward bookings and ‘landing slots’ cancelled by international…
- Covid-19 News
Not much of an apology – Thai Health Minister’s non-apology
OPINION by Tim Newton Yesterday morning the Thai Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, also the head of the Bhumjaithai Party, lost his cool and struck out at ‘Europeans’ and ‘damn farangs’ (caucasians) saying they “should be kicked out” of Thailand for not wearing the cheap, flimsy paper face masks being handed out at the busy Siam BTS station as a…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus UPDATE – over 100,000 Chinese are still in Thailand
This morning there remain 25 confirmed coronavirus cases in Thailand. The death toll has now reached 724 with a total of 34,878 confirmed cases in the past six weeks. Over 2,000 have now fully recovered. Meanwhile, around Thailand, many Chinese tourists and expats continue to circulate after being in the Kingdom for more than 2-3 weeks. Around 100,000 Chinese tourists…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand considers suspending visa-on-arrival for Chinese
The Cabinet committee responsible for “preventing emerging diseases” will meet today to roll out various measures in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak affecting the region, according to Thai Public Health Minister Anuthin Charnvirakul. One proposed measure is the temporary suspension of visa-on-arrival for Chinese nationals, in line with the Chinese ban on outbound group tours. Anuthin stressed that the…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirus UPDATE: More Chinese cities restrict travel, Thailand checking land borders
The death toll from the novel coronavirus has grown to 80 today. The entire Hubei Province is now in the largest health ‘lockdown’ ever mounted in modern medical history with tight controls of who or what is inbound or outbound from the central Chinese province, plus severe restrictions on movement in place in several other Chinese cities. The number of deaths…
- Environment News
Thai PM mulls private car ban in pollution-stricken areas
“Bangkok’s governor has also signed an order yesterday to close 437 schools in in the city today due to a forecast of higher pollution levels.” The government is considering a ban on private car use in areas affected by hazardous levels of air pollution. The harsh proposal was unveiled Tuesday by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha after a cabinet meeting in Narathiwat. The…
- Politics News
Opposition will ask NACC to probe Thai PM on three counts
Seven of Thailand’s opposition parties are demanding that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) investigate Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for allegedly breaching the law on three issues. They claim… • The Prime Minister failed to state the sources of the Government’s revenue in its policy statement presented to parliament last year. • The process of selection of senators was illegal due…
- Environment News
Thai PM will head new drought command centre
Cabinet is expected to approve the establishment of a special command centre along with associated budget to tackle Thailand’s looming drought; expected to be the worst in four decades. The hot season is now well underway and is expected to continue until mid April. Narumon Pinyosinwat, a government spokesperson, says the “command centre” will be headed by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha…
- Politics News
Thai PM on the defensive before the censure debate even begins
“A soothsayer is always a soothsayer, but that does not mean I am insulting their predictions. I respect opinions based on astrology.” Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is warning the opposition parties not to censure the performance of his previous administration (the NCPO) and to concentrate on the current government, which has been operating for nearly five months. He reminded critics…
